Origin
The Antwerp Bantams or Belgian Bearded Bantam descends from bearded bantams that were common in the Netherlands centuries ago and were pictured by many painters.
When the selection of this breed started is unknown but in 1858 Ch. Jacques specifically mentioned it as. Race naine coucou dite d'Anvers. At the end of the nineteenth century the interest in the Antwerp bantam increased. It didn't take long before the Antwerp became a familiar sight on every major poultry show in Belgium. In 1904 an Antwerp Bantam club was founded in Brussels and the board members were all high-society figures. The success of this club was enormous. It had over 450 members and meetings were held almost weekly. In 1910 almost 9300 Antwerp bantams were registered of which 3000 were entered in the clubs studbooks. The First World War ended the glorious times for the Antwerp but it knew to survive the war. Even during the war a second club was founded, this time in the city of Antwerp. The spectacular numbers of exhibited birds like before the War were never seen again but the Antwerp bantam slowly but surely began to make it's way in the rest of the world.
Characteristics
The Antwerp bantam is very well suited for keeping in small pens. It is a very active breed but easily becomes very tame. The hens lay small white eggs and sit on them. The chicks usually grow up without any problems.
Appearance
The Antwerp is a gracious and refined small bantam with a striking asymmetrical body shape. This means that, seen in profile, the front of the body is much heavier than the back.
The Breast is very large, carried rather high and forward, which gives this bantam a very alert and proud expression. A very well developed trilobed beard is the most striking feature of the Antwerp bearded bantam.
The Hackle is very much developed.
The Comb is a very fine rosecomb which is low and follows the line of the skull.
The Tail is almost carried vertically in the roosters and is rather poorly developed.
Varieties This breed is recognized in a large number of varieties and regularly new ones are presented. The most typical is without any doubt the quail even though the original variety was the cuckoo.
The other recognized varieties are :white, blue, black, blue laced, lavender, buff, red, blue quail, silver quail, blue silver quail, millefleur, porcelaine, ochre-white porcelaine, black mottled, blue mottled, lavender mottled, black-red, silver duckwing, pile, columbian, columbian blue, buff columbian,buff columbian blue.
In other European countries there are also birchen, lemon porcelaine, lavender silver quail, blue-red and silver laced Antwerp bantams.
State Most popular Belgian breed which is spread worldwide and with breeders associations on almost every continent. The highest quality birds are found in Belgium, Germany and Holland.
The Standards are base of the country of origin "Belgium" this is why they are call "Belgian Bearded Bantams". We must follow the Belgium Standards to maintain the true type and appearance, if we don't follow the Standards from Belgium we only produce animals base on our own preferences a misleading of the true Standards.
Belgian Bearded Bantams are tree varieties with very distinctive and unique type and appearance on each and three other varieties been Rumples. The general type and first consideration of the Barbus are, small proud littled bird with very prominent chest, short back, tail approaching the vertical and with ample sickles on the cock, short legs and well-rounded body, no visible wattles and a full neck hackle, muff and beard.
Barbu d'Anvers: Comb rosecomb curved, broad in front ending in a leader and follows the line of the skull, and is clean leggets.
Barbu d'Uccle: Neat and Small Single comb and has feather footings.
Barbu de Watermael: Small squared-combed ended in with three small leaders, small flying crest with clean leggets.
Barbu de Grubbe: Rumples version of d'Anvers, tail completely absent and whole of the back been covered with saddle feathers. On the female the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.
Barbu d'Everberg: Rumples version of d'Uccles, tail completely absent and whole of the back been covered with saddle feathers. On the female the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences
Barbu de Bosvoorde : Rumples version of de Watermael, tail completely absent and whole of the back been covered with saddle feathers. On the female the general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.